Garment stay



Nov. 7, 1933. M. s. HIGGINS GARMENT STAY Filed April l1, 1932 MAX S.H\Gcams,

INVENTOR 18A BYM ATTORNEY Patented No'. 7, 1933 UNiTED STATES GARMENT STAY Max S. Higgins, Cortland, N. Y.; Cora E. Higgins and R. Paul Higgins, administrators of said Max S. Higgins, deceased, assignors to Cora E.

Higgins, Cortland, N.

Appiication April 11, 1932. Serial No. 604,369

8 Claims.

My invention broadly pertains to a novel, laborsaving garment stay or so-called corset-bone which preferably comprises one or more flexible stiifening blades adapted to be immovably sheathed into a fabric pocket of a corset, brassire or the like. My strip-like blade is equipped with a penetrable iin disposed to overhang a portion of one longitudinal blade edge in an improved manner by which to sew or otherwise xedly secure such stay or stays against withdrawal or bodily endwise movement. In the present disclosure the n is positively attached to its cooperating blade by cement or other adhesive, which stay structure as a unit, constitutes a distinct commodity intended to be permanently installed into a corset pocket or the like by the garment maker. Said installation is preferably made through the use of an associated lining strip, the fins of my improved stay being especially adapted to underlie said strip in superimposed relation and to be positively affixed to the corset cover fabric simultaneous with sewing of the strip thereto.

As a further distinctive structural feature, said fin is not allowed to extend wholly out to one terminal of its cooperating stay, my shortened 1in being purposely kept well set back from such stay end region to prevent sewing needle interference and thus facilitate rapid and accurate endwise alignment on partv of all mated stays upon being Xedly secured within different pockets of a garment. As a further refinement, my stiifening devices may be built-up with bridging fin elements to provide for a positively interconnected twin stay adapted to be conveniently inserted into a fabric pocket as a unit by a single handling thereof and which bridged stays are likewise permanently secured to the garment fabric in order to prevent the stays from wearing through the pocket ends.

The object of my invention is to devise a simple and effective garment stay of the character indicated that shall adequately meet high-speed fabrication needs and thereby reduce corset production costs. A further objective resides in adapting my stay structure to sewing machines of the multineedle type designed to simultaneously sew a plurality of seams, the rectilinear course or path of said needles being temporarily interrupted to initiate a stay receiving pocket between a garment fabric and its lining into which my unobstructed leading stay blade end is freely entered while placing its associated set-back fin in advance of the interrupted travel path of one such sewing needle. The present improvements also contemplate other important modifications in the conventional stay structure and method of applyingsame, all of which aspects will hereinafter be more explicitly pointed out.

Reference is had to the accompanying one sheet of drawings which are illustrative of certain alternative embodiments of my invention, and in which drawing:

Fig. 1 schematically represents al perspective View taken in partial section, of a fragmental corset pocket made ready to have one of my duplex stays sewed therein.

The evenly numbered figures 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 show plan views of different styles of stay structures while the next following odd numbered figures respectively depict the corresponding crooss-sectional views thereof.

Referring more specifically to Fig. 1, the present-day mode of fabricating corsets will first be briefiy defined in order to make evident the intended use and utility afforded by my stay devices. There is here disclosed a modern three needle sewing machine of the conventional high speed type provided with a barhousing 10 reciprocatively mounting an individual presser foot 11 for each of its laterally spaced, threaded needles 12A, 12B and 12C which may either be given an aligned or a staggered disposition.

The numeral 13 represents an outer front fabric of a corset or the like garment, upon which said needles are intended to operate simultaneously for the purpose of stitching a double stay pocket thereto in the usual fashion. As will be understood, different corset portions are not uniformly reenforced; instead, the bust region for instance, Iis generally kept relatively short and flexible with respect to other more heavily reenforced regions. In order to obviate an abrupt change in rigidity, the various stays are frequently disposed in progressively stepped lengths to suit requirements, being preferably positioned to terminate at some fixed distance or lap L1 beneath the topmost finished fabric edge 14. In making such corsets, there is usually placed within reach of the machine operator, a supply of assorted stacks from which to select stays adapted to be sewed into such diiferent corset pocket lengths.

In accordance with common practice, one such duplex pocket may be fabricated in the fashion A .illustrated in Fig. 1, where the double-width, boning strip or `lining element 15 may be intermittently fed from a reel underneath the fabric 13 by suitableguide means (not shown). The

operator initially starts the machine to simul- Cil and extend the length thereof so as to wholly' cover the respective blade ends.

As detailed in the remaining views, such a multiple stay structure 17 may assume various conformations and the characteristics of certain such embodiments will now be pointed out. The style of twin stay disclosed in Figs. 2 and 3 comprises a pair of parallelly spaced, bone or metallic lstays, 19A and 19B, which latter strips may be covered with celluloid compound, paper or other' rustproof. coating in rthe conventional manner. The blade tip20 may also be double dipped or provided with a suitable'anti-wear cap. In this ex ample, complementary flat faces of my twin stay blades are spanned by the interconnecting fabric, cellophane, sheet pyroxylin, or the like web-like means 21 that may be kept relatively flexible with respect to the mated stays'and readily penetrated by one of the sewing needles. Said web is permanently attached cros'swise of these twin stays by means of 'quick-drying, waterproof cement or the like adhesive! It will be observed that the end region ofmy webyis withdrawn inwardly from the respective bladeextremities by a distance L3 in spaced relationto the 'tip' 20; and the purpose for this improved disposition will appear presently.' While only one end portion of my unitary stay structure is shown, the opposite end may be likewise fashioned toV constitute a reversible duplex stay adapted to be sewed into the corset fabric'lS along the intermediate seamv line 18B.

Figs. i and 5 show a similar style oiv strip-like stay comprising` the blades 22A and 22B as xedly spannedjby the modiedweb 23 having marginal portions that extend oppositely beyond the outermost longitudinal edges of. said stays to provide for a pair of outstanding sewing ledges or ns such'as 24, respectively adapted to cooperate with the additional seams 18A`and 18C.

Figs. 6 and 7 there is disclosed still another modification in which the fabric webv 25 closely resembles the last discussed style except that here 4a doubleI web is resorted to and which is again nxedly adjoined tothe blades embraced therein. These complementary web members are respectivelyl disposed upon opposite s idej faces oi the blades 26A and 26Bfand each web is carried outwardly beyond thetip of the staysas shown, there being` a longitudinal, web slit 27 cut intermediate the bladesl and into the uns` such as 28, the slit Crotch beine again, Set` backby the dstancem. It will be observed thathere the outermost pocket seamslSA and 18C; are spaced more closely than the overall width' 'given t0 the twin blades plus their respective fins, the disposition being such thatr ifja conventional blade without fm set-back were forcibly introduced between said seams, it

wouldeither rip out a seam or cause the pliable ilns to curl inwardly over the` face of theiry respective blades 'Ijhe Fig. 8 disclosureischaracterized bytheuse of aplura'lity ofcooperating fabric bridge-pieces crwebs'suchas 29A, 29B, etc., o f `which oneis set backffrom a blade terminal and each of ,which separately embraces and is fastened to the pair of:` relatively long, cooperating stay bars 30A and 30B; being stitched to the corset cover fabric 13 'along the seam 18B. My duplex metallic bars are preferably kept relatively narrowv and fabricated freiii'feirly iihiiiy resiiierii. Sirip Siiik. S0. @sito impart a considerable measure of flexibility therebetween without undue sacrice of staying power. The longitudinalspacing S provided between the respective bridge pieces, augments torsional flexibility over that afforded by a continuous web tie such for instance as was described in connection with Fig. 6. My spaced web disposition eiiects a considerable saving in web material'over conventional practice. Instead of employing the cited adjoined style of bridge, a coating of needle penetrable rubber compound 31 or the like may be xedly secured to each of the mated bars to provide for a bridging nlike web 32 extending thereacross in the integral fashion that is indicated by Fig. 9A and without need of any enveloping fabric interconnection such as Lastly, attention is directed to Figs. 10 and 1l in which there are shown two separate stays 33A and 33B, each provided with independent and reversel'y disposed n elements such as 34 which are again cemented to and set back from their respective stay ends by the distance L3. Assuming the last named'stays 'to be substituted for the twin stay 17 shown in Fig. 1 and that the opposit-e iins 34 areturned outwardly away from each other as in Fig.V l0, then the' furthermost tip ends 20 of the stay 33A will freely pass between theneedles 12A and 12B while the other, separately handledv stay 33B may be similarly lodged between the needles 12B` and 12C. The

longitudinal disposition of the fin set-back 13 is intended to bear such relation to the length of the initial seam 16 as to Aprevent iin interference with the threaded needle contiguous thereto; that is to say, each stay may still be shifta'bly placed Within the partially formed corset pocket and thus accurately held to the desired predetermined lap position L1 irrespective of whether the operator fails'promptly to stop the high speed sewing machinejorjotherwise allows the initial seam 16 tobvertravel within reasonable limits. The underlying tip end position of theinserted stay is readily perceived because of a resulting localized raised' waggle on 'part of the fabric cover 13. Should the fin be extended out to the extremity of the stay inthe conventional manner, this would come into engagement and interfere with one of the staggered needles or its associated thread, and consequently prevent the lap L1 from being made shorter than the initial seam length L2.' e

An important aspect of the dimension L3 lies inV the set back disposition given to the outermost edge region of the blade iin rather than in the blunt transverse 1in termination that`has been shown,. it being obviousy that any suitable prole starting from saidl edge terminal and extending inwardly toward the blade, will suffice for needle clearance purposes. By carrying the Vdimension L3- inwardly of the axial length of the' tip 20, said tips may beV freely dipped into 4a protective compound afterA applying the fin to and it will beobviousthat a considerable num..,.=

ber of such stays are required for any one cor`v setrcover'; by virtue of their initial freedom of shiftablemovement, the grouped stays can rapidly be positioned and xedly maintained into a correct alignment, which in turn" makes for a neat, high-grade cover finish. It is emphasized that the use of my interconnected unitary stay of the twin blade type greatly expedites its handling for corset fabrication purposes prior to being inserted into the fabric pocket and further insures a perfectly even blade disposition within each such pocket at the minimum number of stitched lining seams. After the projected seam extensions 18A, 18B and 18C have been completed, one such will have pierced lengthwise of a blade fin or bridge element. The bridge seam not only simultaneously confines and securely fastens both adjacent stay blades against endwise displacement and resulting pocket wear but at the same time causes said twin stays to become protectively sheathed in an economical manner with accurate productive results. The use of narrow, multiple stay blades provides for increased flexibility and a saving in material weight over a single stay of equivalent overall width dimension. Should it prove needless to pocket the stay as described, my metal blade by virtue of its described fin, may also be sewn to the garment fabric without the use of any lining strip.

Finally, it is pointed out that the continuous iin such as 34 shown in Fig. 10 may also be subdivided into a plurality of shortened iin sections that are longitudinally spaced lengthwise of the blade in a manner corresponding to the bridge disposition of Fig. 8 without necessarily being set inwardly by the distance L3 from one terminal of such single blade.

It is believed that the foregoing description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, makes apparent the intended construction, mode of application, and advantages inherent in my improvements, it being understood that their more outstanding features are subject to considerable structural latitude and that various other modifications in addition to the given exemplications, may likewise be resorted` to, all without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A garment fabric reenforcing stay comprising a relatively iiexible, strip-like blade having a sewing fin permanently affixed to overhang one longitudial edge thereof and which fin is substantially set back inwardly from one terminal region of the blade, and a continuous pocket forming lining sewn to the fabric with said iin interposed therebetween and which lining overlappingly covers said blade throughout the length thereof.

In a unitary stay adapted to stiffen a pocketed fabric or the like, the combination of a pair of laterally spaced, rectilinear metallic blades having a fabric sewing strip overlappingly cemented thereto which latter extends from end to end and spans the respective innermost longitudinal edge regions of said blades in web-like fashion to constitute a duplex stay structure adapted to be handled as a whole prior to being inserted into a fabric pocket, the spanning portion of said sewing strip being bifurcated inwardly from one end thereof for needle clearance purposes and adapted to be freely penetrated by the needle while sewing between said blades throughout the length thereof.

3. En a unitary stay adapted to stiffen a fabric cover and to be inserted into a pocket of which said cover forms an integral part, the combination of a pair of laterally spaced, rectilinear metallicblades having a fabric sewing strip overlappingly attached thereto which latter extends from end to end in a spanning relation to the respective innermost longitudinal edges of said blades and which strip extends laterally beyond the respective outermost blade edges in iin-like fashion to constitute a twin stay adapted to be bodily handled prior to being inserted into said fabric pocket, the spanning portion of the sewing strip being bifurcated inwardly from one end thereof and the respective contiguous iin portions being similarly set back for needle clearance purposes and which spanning and iin portions are freely penetrable by the needle and serve in uninteruptedly sewing blades to the cover throughout the length of such fabric portions.

4. A reenforcing stay of the unitary type adapted to be sewn to a corset fabric or the like by needle means, said stay comprising a pair of laterally spaced striplike blades of one kind of material that is impenetrable by a sewing needle and further comprising a plurality of blade bridges of another kind ofmaterial penetrable by said needle and which bridges are xedly attached across and spaced apart lengthwise of the innermost edges of said blades, one of the outermost bridges being set back inwardly with respect to its contiguous blade endk region.

5. In an article of manufacture, a reenforcing stay adapted to be sewn to a corset fabric or the like, and which stay comprises a pair of laterally spaced blades of the metallic striplike type having a bridging web of needle penetrable, rubberlike compound xedly secured across the innermost longitudinal edges of the respective blades to constitute a unitary blade structure and which web is set back inwardly from one stay end to provide for an unobstructed blade terminal region that projects longitudinally beyond the 1in set-back.

6. A stay for reenforcing a garment fabric or the like, said stay comprising an inherently resilient, striplike blade having a plurality of needle-penetrable sewing fm sections overhangingly attached to a longitudinal edge lthereof in a set-back relation from one blade end, said n sections being kept spaced apart lengthwise of said blade and maintaining unencurnbered blade resiliency between said spaced sections.

7 The combination of a fabric, a reenforcing stay cooperatively mounted upon said fabric and which stay comprises a striplike blade having a penetrable iin overhangingly fixed along one longitudinal blade edge in a set back relation from one edge extremity to provide for an unobstructed blade end region, a lining medium disposed to cover said unobstructed blade end region and which lining is extended to overlap a contiguous portion of said fin, and means fastening together the defined elements in the aforesaid relationship.

8. The combination of a fabric, a reenforcing stay comprising a pair of laterally spaced blades that are bridged by a needle penetrable weblike member which is set back longitudinally inward from one blade extremity, and a common liningv medium disposed to cover the aforesaid one blade extremity and to overlap an adjacent portion of the weblike member, said lining being sewn to 'i both the fabric and said member.

MAX S. HIGGINS.

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